THE FEEL FREE ARTZ GROUP
Friday, August 26, 2022
HIP HOP: TASCHEN Chronicles the History of Hip-Hop Jewelry in New Photo-Book
Loud, personal and unapologetic — you couldn’t write a history on hip-hop without taking a long detour through the bling worn by rappers. To usher in its upcoming fall titles, TASCHEN is set to release Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History, a new weighty book chronicling one of the genre’s greatest subcultures.
From the ostentatious chains worn by Run-DMC, Eric B. & Rakim, the “show up and show out” culture ushered in by figures, such as Pharrell Williams and Jay-Z, to present day megastars in Tyler, the Creator, Cardi B and Lil Nas X — author Vikki Tobak goes on a 40-year deep dive unearthing the gems, chains and over-the-top pieces that have defined hip-hop’s greatest figures.
Ice Cold includes a foreword by Slick Rick, along with essays by A$AP Ferg, LL COOL J, Kevin “Coach K’ Lee and Pierre “P” Thomas of Quality Control Music. The book is available to pre-order for $100 USD and will release globally in October.
SOLANGE'S NEW BOOK CELEBRATES HER VENICE BIENNALE PERFORMANCE///TRACEE ELLIS ROSS MAKES AN EDITORIAL CASE FOR "GARAGE GLAM" WITH BANTU KNOTS
Grammy award-winning artist Solange Knowles just announced a 188-page book that celebrates her self-composed and directed closing performance at the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale de Venezia.
Dubbed In Past Pupils and Smiles, the book features written contributions and conversations with the likes of Aaron Cezar, Chloe Wayne Sultan and Greg Bryant, alongside offering an in-depth look at Knowles’ creative process.
Presented in a hardcover edition, the keepsake book delves into the behind-the-scenes of Knowles’ performance, from idea to final execution. In Past Pupils and Smiles was commissioned as part of “Meetings on Art,” the Biennale’s official public program, curated by the biennale’s Artistic Director Ralph Rugoff and Director of Delfina Foundation, Aaron Cezar.
Exploring themes of safety, protection and identity, the monograph showcases portraiture photography from the performance alongside conversations, reflections and an insight into the set and lighting design, demonstrating Knowles’ experimentation of sound and movement. “I wanted mud. To dig my hands in soil. To scream. To give offerings. This piece gave me permission to myself to feel it all. I feel like this piece specifically was a moment of mourning, was a moment to express how much grief comes from loss, to be able to bury it and to have a service for that,” Knowles said of the performance in a press release.
“For the Venice Biennale’s first official performance programme, we spotlighted artists who are defining this and the next generation of performance. Solange is at the forefront of this movement of artists who understand performance not as a medium but as a way of processing the world around us. Spanning music, movement, design and visual art, her practice breaks out of accepted categories and genres, and critically questions why these boundaries exist in the first place,” adds Cezar.
In Past Pupils and Smiles is now available for purchase from Knowles’ website.
Tracee Ellis Ross is known for infusing chic streetwear with an editorial touch and her hair and makeup moments mirror that skill. Ross’s hairstylist, Nai’vasha Johnson posted a sneak peek into Ross’s glam for a Pattern Beauty shoot, and her Bantu knots sealed the deal on our feelings.
Johnson crafted the knots on the larger side, with three to frame the front of her head and a few more in the back. The Bantu knots were also accompanied by the perfect stylization of under exaggerated baby hairs. As fall is approaching, the Bantu knots mentioned here are the perfect transitional style as we go from warmer to cooler months. Not only can they be worn all year round, but the knots are an easy and manageable protective choice for your hair that doesn’t require heat.
We’ve seen Ross sport this hairstyle before and know that this may be one of her signatures in addition to her curly tresses, so that being said, we’re sure we’ll be seeing her around fashion month sporting Bantu knots. For more inspiration, see more of the bold beauty choice below.
Kuo Yen Fu Presents 'GAME' at SEASONS LA
Kuo Yen Fu is a Taiwanese artist who captures the dynamism of sport one brushstroke at a time. His latest solo exhibition, GAME at SEASONS LA, continues on this trajectory by spotlighting a range of iconic figures, such as Iron Mike Tysonand the late Kobe Bryant.
Raw, gestural and packed with emotion, Fu paints with the eye of a cameraman — isolating various sporting moments to allow viewers to absorb the complexities that lie just beneath the surface. From twisted limbs to jammed fingers, each of Fu’s compositions reflect the blood, sweat and tears embedded in the pursuit of greatness — reflecting both the sadness and joy that is emblematic of the human experience, on-and-off the court.
GAME is on view at SEASONS LA until September 18.
Elsewhere, Library Street Collective and Louis Buhl & Co. are raising funds for a new skatepark in Detroit.
Seasons LA
912 S Olive St
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Monday, August 22, 2022
STYLE:
Doja Cat is the latest celebrity to announce the launch of her own label, following in the footsteps of names like Gigi Hadid.
Dubbed It’s Giving, the limited-edition line debuted its first drop over the weekend, with items including a crop topped emblazoned with “YES” text, in addition to a tee featuring kitten graphics with lettering reading “it’s giving.” More wardrobe staples add to the lineup, with a logo hoodie and matching sweatpants arriving in brown. The collection is complete with white thongs and a jock strap labeled “YES,” as well as accessories such as trucker hats, stickers, socks and a tote bag.
To tease the official launch, Doja wore pieces from the collection in her latest look, accompanied by her fresh buzz cut along with the Balenciaga Le Cagole bag in pink.
Take a closer look at the designs above and head to It’s Giving’s website for the first drop, now available for pre-order with shipping beginning September 30.
Picture it — it’s the early aughts and you have just enough money in your Delia’s shoulder bag to splurge on a pair of sneakers. The internet is in its early stages and your exposure to sneaker releases is limited to online forums, a handful of websites and the Eastbay catalog your brother hoards with a vengeance.Walkman in tow, you catch the bus (Uber isn’t a thing yet) to the local mall to pick up something, but of course, the Air Jordan you’ve been waiting for since it was previewed on your retro card has long sold out. Resale culture is extremely risky (think buying out of a trunk of the neighborhood bootleg movie guy) and your mom won’t let you camp out for shoes so it’s the general release wall for you.
You’re a high schooler so size-wise you’re somewhere between big kids’ and men’s sizes. A precarious spot as men’s sizes are twice the price, but big kids lack premium materials and often have a more bulbous toe shape. (It’s a little thing but it’s a big thing.)
You wander over to the women’s sneaker section, a minuscule offering scrunched between baby’s shoes and the very back of the store. Your gaze trails from floor to ceiling. Everything is pink.
Make no mistake, there has never been a time when women were not part of sneaker culture. Reduced? Restrained? Underserved? Yes. But while women’s exclusives are currently on the rise, it is an extremely late measure to put it kindly.
Back in the days of burned CDs and dial-up modems, the women’s category subscribed heavily to the “pink it and shrink it” ethos assuming if a woman wanted a t-shirt it had to be a baby tee, if a woman wanted a basketball jersey it was fitted and cropped, and if a woman wanted a pair of sneakers she most assuredly wanted them to be pink.
The relationship with pink is a strained one for Millennials specifically who had the hue forced upon them. To this day, when a female collaborator launches a silhouette in pink you can open the comments and there are bound to be complaints regarding the shade. Poor pink. Poor, poor controversial pink.
As Y2K fashion began to reemerge, along with it came a fresh perspective on color and femininity as a whole. Thanks to purveyors of pink like Tracee Ellis Ross, designers like Balenciaga and Valentino, and the introduction of Barbiecore, pink reemerged as something off-beat and cool. A hair flip in the face of season after season of neutrals.
In the world of sneakers, pink has seen a rapid increase in cool factor. On Hypebae alone, the last several footwear posts featuring pink colorways have been some of our best performers across social and editorial, including a Valentine’s Day-themed New Balance 550, hairy suede Nike Dunk High and a monochromatic Nike Dunk Low — all earning tens of thousands of upvotes from our community.
The pink sneaker wall of the early 2000s would be welcomed today by all genders, people given the choice to don the shade as opposed to the specifically young female Millennial footwear enthusiasts who had very few other options.
To quote a Neanderthalian commenter, “Women don’t know what they want.” Yes, we do. Options.
GUESS Originals has just revealed its Fall 2022 collection, presenting an array of rich, earth-toned garments for the chilly season.
Grounded in a rich color palette of deep greens, blues and rich browns, the latest line features medium washed KIT Carpenter jeans accented with havana brown stitching. Arriving in an assortment of elevated comfort stretch denim with light to dark stonewash treatments and over-dyed twill. Crafted from premium stretch denim, the jeans expertly blend a classic utilitarian style with an everyday silhouette. Elsewhere, a black faux-leather pair of pants steal the show and are sure to be an absolute staple during the colder months. The brand revisits its archive, incorporating its vintage wash technique into the crewnecks and reworked corduroy jackets.
Take a look at GUESS Originals’ Fall 2022 collection. Ranging from $12 to $128 USD, GUESS Originals’ Fall 2022 collection is available on the brand’s website.
KRINK and Futura Tease Collaborative Marker Set
Whether in the studio or in the streets, KRINK has cemented itself as a go-to marker for prominent and emerging artists alike. Following a recent collaboration with Tiffany & Co., the paint supplier will unveil a special box set with legendary graffiti artist, Futura.
Known the world over for his iconic Pointman character, Futura (real name Leonard McGurr) has been at the pulse of graffiti culture since the 1970s. The upcoming box set was teased earlier today on the artist’s Instagram and will feature an all-black lineup of permanent ink markers, including the popular K-60 and K-70, along with a thicker K-71 and K-51.
Futura x KRINK does not have a price-point or release date as of yet, but expect the box set to release via KRINK in the coming weeks.
Beats by Dre and Futura Laboratories, a design studio and brand platform formed by pioneering graffiti artist FUTURA, have joined forces to create a special-edition pair of Beats Studio Buds.
Doused in the inventive artist’s signature “atom” motif, the Beats Studio Buds supply high-quality audio and offer Class 1 Bluetooth Active Noise Cancellation. Additionally, the earbuds feature a transparency mode and one-touch pairing for Apple and Android devices with up to eight hours of listening time. Notably, the device marks the second collaboration between Beats and FUTURA, following their previous Solo HD delivery in 2013.
In tandem with the collaborative earbuds’ debut, Futura curated an old-school playlist full of songs that resonate with his work and reflect his New York City background. The retro tracklist, titled “Futura Laboratories,” is available to stream on Apple Music.
“Music has always been a necessity in my creative space,” said Futura in a statement, “but music on my Beats Studio Buds take me to an entirely isolated inner space.”
The special-edition Beats Studio Buds will be available to purchase for $149.99 USD beginning Saturday, July 30, at 7 a.m. PT on Futura Laboratories’ webstore, END Clothing and Beats’ WeChat store. Take a look at the design in the gallery above.
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